We just bought a house that needs a total remodel. We fell in love with wood for the floors that is only available in engineered. Any thoughts on engineered vs solid prefinished?
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This is from a homeowner. If you want professional opinions try posting in breaktime.
There are good points and drawbacks to engineered. One good point is that it is more dimensionally stable than solid and can be used in places where solid is a no-no (such as our own below-grade installation). It can be installed as a floating floor which I don't believe is possible for solid. It is environmentally friendly towards wood since the pretty wood can cover more floors. The drawbacks include that most brands have a thin enough "show" layer that they can't be refinished. There are highend brands available that have a thick layer (down to the tongue) and can be refinished, but these are few and far between. It contains glues, which are not so environmentally friendly. Another drawback, that the floor can't be perfectly flat that you get with finishing in place, is not an issue for you because you are comparing to prefinished solid which has the same drawback.
Thank you for your input. The wood I fell in love with called chechen, only comes in engineered and I decided to go for it. It is 1/4 inch thick and I was told it can be refinished but it is a very hard wood and hopefully won't have to be done for a while. Since we don't have pets, I am hopeful it will last. Our current floors which are 5 years old are in great shape and they are a softer wood. Thanks again. It was tough to choose, the exotic woods are beautiful.